AGI disappointed in government's handling of energy situation

quist

November 19, 2015 9:15 AM

The Association has bemoaned what they call a prevailing unproductive electricity structure in Ghana and are demanding a review of the current load shedding program to benefit industries.

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Government must prioritize industries in the shedding of load and the provision of energy. This is the call of the Association of Ghana Industries AGI.

The country is in the third year of a load shedding exercise that has a myriad of root causes, ranging for inadequate gas supply, faulty thermal plants and debt to essential providers like the West African Gas Pipeline and inadequate funds to buy crude to power the plants.

In an interview with AGI president James Asare- Adjei, he told Pulse Business reechoed the stance his Association has been making for some time now, asking that AGI stops subsidizing residential the prices of consumers.

" It is eroding our capital" he said.

"All we are saying is priority must be given to industry when it comes to power rationing through our membership on the load management committee at the Ministry of Power and other engagements with government."

He added that, there is no excuse for the prevailing energy crises in the country.

"Business have suffered severely as a result of the worsening energy crisis in the country, stating that Ghana has lost tremendously."

"Industrial output has been affected and worse of all investor confidence has also been negatively affected, and there's no excuse that's good enough for this." Asare-Adjei added.

He called for an urgent permanent solution to the energy crisis, advocating for the implementation of Strategic National Energy Plan (SNEP).

Meanwhile, There are ongoing discussions on tariff adjustment and AGI is negotiating on behalf of its members, he stated.

The AGI president believes that almost all the conditions that make up the automatic adjustment formulae are increasing due to worsening macro economic indicators, making it unfair for the increment to be passed on to the average Ghanaian.

"It is therefore unfair to offload the consequences of such inefficiencies to industries," he said.

Mr. Asare-Adjei urged government to stay focused and work hard to improve the confidence level of the business con munity to guarantee further investment in the country's economy.

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